You might have heard of ‘keyed alike’ locks. They’re a fundamental way of making access to your house easier – for better or worse.
This blog post will explain the pros and cons of ‘keyed alike’ locks. When are they a good idea? And when are they not?
Keep on reading to find out.
What are ‘keyed alike’ locks?
‘Keyed alike’ locks are when one key can open several locks. That is, all the locks are the same.
You might already have ‘keyed alike’ locks in your home. A typical example is windows – they’re often all fitted with the same locking mechanism. You don’t need a different key for every window. Well, if you did, we’re sure they’d get lost all the time, and then the windows would be stuck shut.
‘Keyed alike’ locks can feel like a security risk. This isn’t the case in reality. Read the ‘cons’ section below to understand why.
Pros of ‘keyed alike’ locks
There are several benefits to ‘keyed alike’ locks. Here are the main ones.
- Convenience – use the same key to get in or out of the front door, side door, back door, garage and so on. There’s no need to hunt around the house for that extra set.
- Fewer keys – most people’s keychains already jangle around with ten or fifteen keys. When you have a different lock on each and every door and window, you’ll soon run out of space. ‘Keyed alike’ locks mean you need only one.
- Cheaper cost of keys – installing the locks costs about the same, whether they’re ‘keyed alike’ or not. But you’ll only need to buy one set of keys instead of several. It’s not a huge saving, but every little helps.
Cons of ‘keyed alike’ locks
The main disadvantage to ‘keyed alike’ locks is as follows:
- Losing your key – when you lose your key, you’ll only need to cut one replacement. That’s good – in theory. Except, when you lose your key, it’s highly recommended that you also replace all your locks. When you lose a ‘keyed alike’ key, you should have all those locks changed. That might be pricy. Of course, most people lose their entire keychain rather than just one key. In this case, you’d still need to replace all the locks. Therefore, ‘Keyed alike’ locks don’t usually fare any worse than standard locks.
A significant worry of some customers is the security aspect of having one key for all your doors. It might seem like it makes it easier for someone to break into your home. In reality, though, it makes no difference.
As mentioned, people usually lose their entire keyset. If someone steals it from you, they’ll have access to your house. It might take them a moment longer to try all the keys in the lock, but unfortunately, they’ll get in without any trouble. Having the one key doesn’t change that.
Of course, in some circumstances, ‘keyed alike’ locks don’t make sense. For example, a business might have a secure section for authorised personnel only. A different and stricter type of key is definitely needed to keep prying eyes away.
Whether you have ‘keyed alike’ locks or not, anyone stealing your keys will have access to your property. That’s why it’s so important to change the locks.
Get in touch with Grays Locksmiths
Are you looking for someone to help you with your home security? At Grays Locksmiths, we’d be happy to assist. Based in Nottingham and the surrounding areas, we’ve been trusted with people’s homes and businesses since 1987. We’re Master Locksmiths Association members, meaning you can rely on us to get the job done.
Would your home benefit from ‘keyed alike’ locks? Or perhaps you’d like some more information from one of our staff? Either way, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with our team using the form below for an obligation-free chat. You’ll also find our phone number and email address on the contact page. We look forward to hearing from you.